Tegan and Tina win Adult Learners' Week Awards

Two students at Canterbury College are celebrating after winning Adult Learners’ Week Awards.

Tegan Hunter, from Sittingbourne had been homeless for three years, ‘sofa surfing’ at friends’ houses and even sleeping on a park bench, before she took up learning to turn her life around.

The 21 year-old now lives at The Quays homelessness hostel and was able to study ICT thanks to a partnership between the hostel and Canterbury College. She has completed courses and qualifications in Literacy and Numeracy, Basic IT, CV Writing, Word Processing, Spreadsheets and Employability Skills. 

Tegan, who has been given a Regional Individual Award – sponsored by the European Social Fund, said: “These courses have changed my life. I didn’t have the right attitude towards myself and life before I took them.”

Meantime, a 33 year-old who left school without any qualifications is also celebrating getting an Adult Learners Week award after becoming the first female in the South East region to gain Automotive Technician Accreditation.

Tina Eastwood from Herne Bay studies in the Motor Vehicle Department at the New Dover Road campus in Canterbury and has been recognised with a Regional Individual Award.

Tina said: “As a female in a very male orientated world, adjusting to a male environment has been very challenging, but in spite of this I have managed to achieve. Receiving the qualifications that I have earned will enable me to go forward and carry out my dreams of becoming an MOT tester for the class that I have a great passion for – motorcycles.”

The pair will be presented with their awards at a South-East Regional Ceremony on Tuesday 17^th May at The Museum of London. They will be presented with a framed certificate and voucher to contribute to further learning.

Adult Learners’ Week is now in its 20^th year and is all about celebrating learning and learners and inspiring thousands of people to try something new – whether it is for fun or leading to a qualification. It’s estimated that in 2010, 100,000 adults engaged in over 4,000 learning events.

The initiative is the largest of its kind and is co-ordinated by its Founders, the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE).